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I’m back to blogging. Today’s review is going to be slightly different as I wont be reviewing a book as such. Instead I’m going to be talking about my first ever Fairyloot subscription box.

This is what the Fairyloot boxes look like when delivered.

Disclaimer

The following post has not been sponsored in any sense or form. I do not receive any commission from any links mentioned. All thoughts and views are my own.

I discovered Fairyloot a few months back on Instagram and instantly fell in love with them. If your unfamiliar with them, then Fairyloot is a monthly subscription box packed with literature related goodies which include a novel. Each box is based on a theme. It is delivered to your door on a monthly basis. The boxes can be purchased either singularly, 3 monthly or as a six monthly subscription. They are based in the UK but ship internationally. For more information, please go check them out, you wont be disappointed. I’ll leave a link at the end of this post.

The theme for July was Pirates and Power.

This was my first Fairyloot purchase. I was so excited when it arrived and opened it as soon as I got in from work. The delivery time was really fast. I had an email the day before it arrived informing me that my box was on the way. It arrived in perfect condition and was really well packaged inside. Hidden beneath the famous purple and silvery paper worms were all of the gifts just waiting to be picked out like special chocolates and devoured.

I’m going to talk you all through what I received in my box, so the next few sections will contain some spoilers. If you have purchased a July box and have still yet to open it, you might want to skip over these sections to avoid ruining the surprise for yourself.

Without further ado, lets crack on.

The theme for Julys box was Pirates and Power.

First up was a black tote bag from Alice in Wonderbookland. Its a good strong bag that is adorned with a white pirate ship print along with the words “I ship it”. This bad will be perfect for carrying my man reads around over the summer months.

Next up is a pirate bounty lip balm from a company called Geeky Clean. This is coconut in flavour and is lovely on the lips. Even the casing itself is decorated with so much detail, its a lovely item to carry round. Geeky Clean provide two items in the July box. The other one being a bath bomb named Frostblood and Fire blood. Th bomb is red and blue in colour. This ties in with the ARC book that’s included in the subscription. Even though I’m yet to use it, it gave off a wonderful fruity scent which made my box smell amazing when I came to opening it up. Looking forward to using this bomb.

The box also contained a beautiful notebook made by Museum and Galleries. They sent out two different covers. I received the Treasure Island theme which was a lovely foil image set against a black background.

Also included was a bookmark to colour in from the company Behind the Pages. I love this idea of being able to create your own bookmark in a sense and colour it how you like. Great idea, so thumbs up to Behind the Pages.

A subscription box wouldn’t be complete without the famous Funko Pops. Two different characters were sent out to coincide with the theme of the ARC book. My box contained a Jon Snow (Game of Thrones) keyring. The other keyring I believe was Daenerys.

Lipbalm, Jon Snow Funko Pop and Bathbomb.

The first of the two books was the ARC copy of Frostblood by Elly Blake. Two covers were released and I received the Frostblood one. Its a beautiful blue and grey cover. The other cover has the Fireblood design on it. This novel is set to be released next year in 2017. I’m hoping to do a review for this book as soon as I can so please stay tuned for it. The book also came with a bookmark showing both cover designs.

Frostblood by Elly Blake

The other book I received is by Freedom Matthews and is entitled Inherited. This book ties in with the pirate theme of the box. I was really happy to see that the publisher is non other then Benjamin from Of Tomes Publishing. There was a little note included from him in the box. I follow him on YouTube so its great to see that he’s doing so well with his publishing house. I was also lucky enough to be able to have my copy signed and dedicated to myself by freedom. The inner page is signed in gold pen. It really makes the book feel that extra bit special and personal to you. The final items that came with the book were a personalised letter from freedom and a postcard depicting the cover.

Inherited by Freedom Matthews

Each Fairyloot box also contains a unique hashtag code which will be found in one other box. This means that you can hopefully find your Fairyloot buddy and chat about the box and contents together. Mine is #fairylootcupid so if your out there and reading this, then please get in touch :).

As you can see this box was jam packed with lively goodies. I can safely say that it out did my expectations by far. Unfortunately I’ve now missed out on the August box as its already sold out but I am definitely going to be looking into purchasing a 6 month subscription when the September box is announced.

If any bookworms out there received a July box, please leave a comment down below letting me know what you think and what your favourite item was. As mentioned earlier I am planning on reviewing both books contained in the box. It may be a while yet as my TBR list is always expanding so please bare with me.

I hope you enjoyed reading all about my first experience of a Fairyloot box and maybe its even inspired you to try a box out for yourself.

I just wanted to check in with you all and say that I havent forgotton you. The last couple of weeks I havent been able to find time to put posts up as I’ve just started back in my day job after taking maternity leave.

Luckily though I’m starting to feel abit more organised now so I’m hopng to start posting regulalry again. Didn’t realise how difficult it would be to actually get myself and a little person ready at 6:30am in the morning!!!

I’ll sign off by saying thank you for your continued support and patience. You guys are what make my blog worth doing. I love reading and being able to share my reviews with you all, make it that much more enjoyable. Reading and writing is the one job I would love to move into in the near future. This blog is the start of that dream.

Afternoon Bookworms, Todays review is all about that classic childrens novel, The BFG by Roald Dahl. I loved this story as a child and have recently had a renewed interest in it since the announcement of the up and coming film remake. Grab a cuppa and enjoy the review.

Title: The BFG

The BFG, soon to be released in cinemas.

Author: Roald Dahl

Series: N/A

Published by: Puffin

Genre: Children’s/Fantasy

Pages: 208

Format: Paperback

Sources: Goodreads

Summary

Little Sophie is captured by a giant! Luckily for her though, this giant is not the typical bone crushing one that eats little children. Had she been kidnapped by any other giant like Bonecrusher or Bloodbottler, she most certainly would not have survived.

The BFG on the other hand is a dream giant. Together he and Sophie must save the children of England and prevent them from becoming some giants next breakfast.

My Thoughts

The BFG has always been a childhood favourite of mine. Since hearing that a new movie is about to be released, I simply had to dig out my copy and relive the tale all over again. Its a story that has a fairy tale feel to it and a feel good factor. You can read the story safe in the knowledge that you know there will be a happy ending.

One of our main protagonists is little Sophie. I immediately warmed to Sophie. She is an orphan, stuck inside a not so nice orphanage. On first meeting her, you can tell that she is a dreamer. She’s sat on the windowsill one night peering out into the dark street. I almost getting the feeling that she is longing or wishing for something to happen. I was unsure whether she is planning to escape or just hoping to be some place else.

Shes a brave young girl. She doesn’t make a sound when she is plucked from her window in the middle of the night by non other then a giant. She accepts that she is in giant country and tries to understand the BFG rather then sitting sobbing to go back to the orphanage.

Her kindness shines through. She listens to the struggles the BFG goes through. As he doesn’t eat children he is bullied and tormented by the other giants. Sophie tries t find ways to make his life better and cheer him up. In one scene the BFG describes the snozzcumbers that are plentiful in giant country but don’t taste very nice. Sophie suggests taking some vegetables when he visits England in order for him to have some nicer food. She looks for little things that might make his life better. Her kindness extends even further when she hatches a plan with the BFG to her save the children of England from being eaten by the nasty giants.

Our other main protagonist is of course the BFG. I see him as a sort of father figure to Sophie. He looks after her and teaches her about the dreams he creates for the children. He shows Sophie that even the simple things in life can be fun. One scene we see them both drinking the very fizzy giant drink, Frobscottle. The bubbles cause wind down below and so we see them whizzing round the room after letting off wind. The BFG refers to it as a whizzpopper.

The host of other characters really emphasise how different the BFG is. The other giants in particular have gruesome names and are described as enjoying crushing the bones of and eating children.

I feel that the BFG and Sophie are both very similar. They both don’t have a family of their own and are both effectively trapped in places they don’t really want to be. The humans are unkind to Sophie and the giants are unkind to the BFG.

The use of creative made up words works really well throughout the novel. Its effective in the sense that it helps distinguish between the two different worlds. It also adds to the fantasy type element and theme of the book.

I really enjoyed the story as a whole. Its a typical good conquers and triumphs over evil. Its also, I think a story about acceptance and being accepted even though you may look different. The BFG clearly stands out in England but is soon made to feel welcome by all. Like all good children’s stories, the BFG has a happy ending. I was pleased about this as I was so keen for Sophie and the BFG to finally find happiness and somewhere thy feel they belong.

Overall the BFG is a classic children’s book which can be enjoyed by both children and adults. Its a timeless novel that will be loved for years and years to come. It’s a book that you can dive back into and instantly be transported back to your childhood days.

With the movie coming out next month, I’d love to hear what you all think of it and how it compares to the book. Does it live up to your exceptions and imagination of what you think the characters are like?

Welcome bookworms , I’m so glad you decided to pop over to my blog. This site is all about book reviews. Each time I read a book, I am going to be posting a review about it on here. I read a variety of genres from YA to historical and even childrens (I have an excuse to indulge in this genre again as I have a little 9 month old son).

If you would like me to read and review a specific book then please drop me a line by either leaving me a comment or emailing me at thebookishbookworm@gmail.com.

My rating system will be out of 5, 5 being the best and 1 not so good. To keep the rating system in keeping with my title name, I’m going to use bookworms as my rating system!

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Bio

Hello and welcome to my blog The Bookish Bookworm.
I'm Sarah, a 28 year old bookaholic who loves nothing more then finding a quiet corner, settling down with a cup of tea and opening those first few pages of a new adventure.
If you love books then please come join me :)

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